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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. face — part of the head
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cap — of ice
  17. face — to confront
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com